EIGHT pro-democracy groups under the umbrella of the Swaziland Democratic Alliance (SDA) asked King Mswati III on Wednesday to revoke a controversial decree which reinforces his powers over the judiciary. The groups charged that the decree, promulgated on June 23, infringes basic freedoms and liberties. “We urge you, Your Majesty, to revoke the decree together with the Kings Decree of April 12, 1973 as it has deprived us our basic freedoms,” the petition says, referring also to a 19-year-old edict giving the Swazi monarch close to absolute power. The king last weekend said he had had no time to study the decree before signing it a few minutes before he left for a UN conference in New York. – AFP